Jesus said to his disciples:...
“If anyone wishes to come after me,
he must deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. - Luke 9:22, 23-24
Day Two of Lent is nearing its end. The Lord calls us in this season to repentance, contrition and penance. The Lord also calls us to renewal, rejuvenation and love. Lent is a time to get to know the Lord. Today, in particular, the Lord gives in the readings an opportunity to see the beginnings of the love and open our hearts to understanding.
The excerpt from the readings that first caught my eye is from the Gospel. The message is clear and is forged in my mind as to what it means to be a follower of Jesus: take up the cross and follow. However, I will begin my reflections with the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy. Moses explained the law for the Israelites and for us.
The law of God has never been to restrict man but to offer freedom for the soul. The law of God offers man everlasting life. The reading tells the Israelites, and us, that “set before [us is] life and prosperity, death and doom.” What stands out to me is that the law seems to not quite be a law but rather guidelines for the people of Moses. They are not offered a mandate but given a choice. This choice given by God is indicative and is a prefiguring of the love of God. The choice is not meant to drive fear into the hearts of people but to bear witness to the truth. The truth is that we can have life and prosperity in the love of God.
The Gospel then tells the disciples of the same choice given to the Israelites, and also to us. Jesus goes further than Moses and explicitly states that following him is not mandatory but is a voluntary choice. Jesus has always demonstrated for us what it is to love and to be a gentleman. He also teaches for us what it is to be a good evangelist and leader without extortion or proselytizing. Jesus, however, gives the disciples something they did not expect: He tells them that he must suffer and die. The disciples must have also been confused by the Lord’s statement that on third day he will be raised. We have the luxury of centuries of catechesis and direction of the Holy Spirit.
What do we know of suffering? I think about a movie that is not exactly Christian in nature. In the movie “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” one of the antagonists tells a side character that, after that character states that he is not afraid of dying, “how would you know? You’ve never tried..” I find that quote rather interesting in light of the what the Lord asks of us. To follow unto death, though no living person can ever understand what death means. However, love commands that we trust what the Lord has told us and what we believe he has done. He has conquered death. Lent should be a time where we contemplate death and what its promise means for us. Death is our participation in the Lord’s plan for our salvation. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it cannot bear fruit. The Lord calls us to courage and salvation. He is the way. And in the cosmic scheme of things, what really is there to have the whole world and yet lose the self or the soul.
May God look upon his servants and see the faith of the Church. May God grant us pardon and peace. May the Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death.
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